Trailer tow ski system

ABSTRACT

A trailer tow ski system for assisting in supporting the tongue weight of a trailer hitch during pulling of the trailer. The trailer tow ski system generally includes a ski member having a front lip extending upwardly, a support member extending upwardly from the ski member, a tongue member extending forwardly from the support member, a main coupler attached to the tongue member for removably connected to a ball of a vehicle hitch, a front support structure attached to a front portion of the ski member and to an upper portion of the support member, a rear support structure attached to a rear portion of the ski member and to the upper portion of the support member, and a hitch ball attached to the upper end of the support member. The hitch ball is removably coupled to a coupler of the trailer hitch to support the weight thereof.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable to this application.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable to this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a trailer towing assistancedevice and more specifically it relates to a trailer tow ski system forassisting in supporting the weight of a trailer hitch during pulling ofthe trailer thereby removing all of the tongue weight from the towingvehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art

Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should inno way be considered as an admission that such related art is widelyknown or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

Trailer units have a trailer hitch that is removably connected to amotorized vehicle. One type of trailer unit is a fish house trailer(a.k.a. ice fishing trailer) used for ice fishing on ice during thewinter. Conventional fish house trailers typically have two or fourwheels to allow them to be pulled by the motorized vehicle to variouslocations on a lake or over land. Recently, fish house trailers havebecome increasingly larger in size and weight requiring larger motorizedvehicles having larger suspensions to support the weight of the fishhouse trailer during moving of the fish house trailer. Some fish housetrailers have lengths of 16 feet and have a gross weight of over 5,000pounds with the weight increasing based on items placed in the fishhouse trailer by the end user.

While a large ¾ ton pickup truck may not have a problem moving most fishhouse trailers, a compact SUV, all-terrain vehicle (ATV; e.g.three-wheeler, four-wheeler) or utility task vehicle (UTV; a.k.a. sideby side) will have difficulties because their suspensions are notdesigned to support the tongue weight of the trailer hitch of the fishhouse trailer. Therefore, as the size and weight of trailer unitsincreases, the type of motorized vehicles capable of moving the trailerunits decreases not because the motor sizes are insufficient but becausethe vehicle suspensions are not capable of supporting the tongue weightof the trailer hitch. It should be noted that even larger motorizedvehicles can struggle to tow a larger trailer unit over snow or icebecause of the combined increase tongue weight of the trailer hitch andthe reduced traction to the wheels.

Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a needfor a new and improved trailer tow ski system for assisting insupporting the weight of a trailer hitch during pulling of the trailer.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Provided herein is a trailer towing assistance device which includes aski member having a front lip extending upwardly, a support memberextending upwardly from the ski member, a tongue member extendingforwardly from the support member, a main coupler attached to the tonguemember for removably connected to a ball of a vehicle hitch, a frontsupport structure attached to a front portion of the ski member and toan upper portion of the support member, a rear support structureattached to a rear portion of the ski member and to the upper portion ofthe support member, and a hitch ball attached to the upper end of thesupport member. The hitch ball is removably coupled to a coupler of thetrailer hitch to support the weight thereof.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the features ofthe invention in order that the detailed description thereof may bebetter understood, and in order that the present contribution to the artmay be better appreciated. There are additional features of theinvention that will be described hereinafter and that will form thesubject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, beforeexplaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction or to the arrangements of the components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Theinvention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced andcarried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of thedescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the presentinvention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood when considered in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference characters designate the same orsimilar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view of one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a lower perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 3a is an upper perspective view of the present invention connectedbetween a motorized vehicle and a trailer unit.

FIG. 3b is an upper perspective view of the present invention with thetongue member pivoted upwardly away from the vehicle hitch of themotorized vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a magnified upper perspective view of the present inventionconnected between the motorized vehicle and the trailer unit.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a right side view of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a left side view of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a rear upper perspective view of a first alternativeembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a left side view of the first alternative embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a rear view of the first alternative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Overview

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar referencecharacters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIGS. 1through 13 illustrate a trailer tow ski system 10, which comprises a skimember 20 having a front lip 30 extending upwardly, a support member 50extending upwardly from the ski member 20, a tongue member 58 extendingforwardly from the support member 50, a main coupler 59 attached to thetongue member 58 for removably connected to a ball of a vehicle hitch19, a front support structure 60 attached to a front portion of the skimember 20 and to an upper portion of the support member 50, a rearsupport structure 70 attached to a rear portion of the ski member 20 andto the upper portion of the support member 50, and a hitch ball 56attached to the upper end of the support member 50. The hitch ball 56 isremovably coupled to a coupler of the trailer hitch 14 to support theweight thereof. The entire structure of the trailer tow ski system 10 ispreferably constructed of a metal material such as aluminum to provide alightweight structure with the level of strength required to supportlarger trailer units 12.

The trailer tow ski system 10 is for supporting the tongue weight of atrailer hitch 14 for a trailer unit 12. The trailer unit 12 may becomprised of various types of trailers such as, but not limited to, afish house trailer with two or more wheels with a trailer hitch 14extending from the front as illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 3b of thedrawings. The trailer unit 12 may be 16 feet or more in length (or less)and may weigh 5,000 lbs (or more or less). The present invention allowsa motorized vehicle 18 having various types of suspensions to pull thetrailer unit 12 regardless of the weight of the trailer unit 12 such as,but not limited to, an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) such as a four-wheeler,a utility task vehicle (UTV) such as a side by side, a compact sportutility vehicle (SUV), a car, a small pickup and the like.

B. Ski Member

FIGS. 1 through 13 illustrate the ski member 20 that is designed forpassing over various types of surfaces such as ice and snow. The skimember 20 may be constructed of various types of material such as, butnot limited to, plastic or aluminum.

The ski member 20 has an upper surface 22 and a lower surface 24opposite of the upper surface 22. The lower surface 24 of the ski member20 engages and slides over the surface such as ice or snow. The lowersurface 24 is preferably a flat structure to reduce friction duringusage.

The ski member 20 further includes a rear end and a front end oppositeof the rear end. The ski member 20 also includes a main body and a frontlip 30 extending forwardly and upwardly at an angle from the main body.The main body is preferably comprised of an elongated planar structureas illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 9, 10 and 11 of the drawings. The lengthand the width of the ski member 20 may vary depending upon the surfaceconditions to be used upon and the tongue weight of the trailer unit 12to be supported. For example, the ski member 20 may be approximately 20inches wide and approximately 41 inches in length. The ski member 20 ispreferably constructed of a single sheet of aluminum havingapproximately a ¼ inch thickness.

The front lip 30 includes a first portion 32 extending from the mainbody at a first angle with respect to horizontal and a second portion 34extending from the first portion 32 at a second angle with respect tohorizontal as best illustrated in FIGS. 2, 5, 7 through 12. The secondangle is significantly greater than the first angle as best illustratedin FIGS. 7 and 8. The length of the first portion 32 is significantlygreater than the second portion 34 as further shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 ofthe drawings. The front edge of the second portion 34 preferably tapersinwardly as best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 10 of the drawings. Thefront lip 30 further includes a front opening 36 which a user can graspwith their hand to form a handle as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 10 of thedrawings.

One or more runners 40, 42, 44 are attached to the lower surface 24 ofthe ski member 20 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 10 of the drawings. Therunners 40, 42, 44 are preferably comprised of a plastic material suchas UHMW polyethylene. The runners 40, 42, 44 further include recessedopenings that receive rivets, fasteners, or similar hardware that securethe runners 40, 42, 44 to the lower surface 24 of the ski member 20. Therunners 40, 42, 44 preferably extend from near the rear edge of the skimember 20 to near the front edge of the ski member 20 as illustrated inFIGS. 2 and 10. The runners 40, 42, 44 preferably extend parallel withrespect to the longitudinal axis of the ski member 20 to reduce theresistance of the ski member 20 and to assist in guiding the travel ofthe ski member 20 when being pulled by the motorized vehicle 18. Therunners 40, 42, 44 may be comprised of a first runner 40 attached to thelower surface 24 near a first side of the ski member 20, a middle runner42 attached to the lower surface 24 in a central location of the skimember 20 and a second runner 44 attached to the lower surface 24 near asecond side of the ski member 20 opposite of the first side of the skimember 20 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 10 of the drawings.

C. Cutout

The ski member 20 preferably includes a cutout 28 extending into therear end of the ski member 20 to prevent engagement of the ski member 20with a jack 16 of the trailer hitch 14 of the trailer unit 12 asillustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4, 9 and 10 of the drawings. The cutout28 preferably extends forwardly a sufficient distance into the skimember 20 and has a shape sufficient to prevent engagement of the skimember 20 with a jack 16 of the trailer hitch 14 of the trailer unit 12.The cutout 28 is large enough to allow the jack 16 of the trailer hitch14 to remain in a supporting position for the trailer hitch 14 to allowfor convenient connection of the trailer tow ski system 10 to thecoupler of the trailer hitch 14 as best illustrated in FIG. 4 of thedrawings.

The ski member 20 includes a first extended portion 26 and a secondextended portion 27 that extend rearwardly to define the cutout 28. Thefirst extended portion 26 and the second extended portion 27 preferablytaper inwardly as they extend rearwardly as best illustrated in FIG. 10of drawings. The first extended portion 26 has a first inner edge andthe second extended portion 27 has a second inner edge that faces thefirst inner edge. The first inner edge and the second inner edgepreferably diverge rearwardly from one another as illustrated in FIG. 10of the drawings. The ski member 20 includes a central edge positionedbetween the first inner edge and the second inner edge as bestillustrated in FIG. 10 of the drawings. The central edge extendstransverse with respect to a longitudinal axis of the ski member 20forming a U-shaped cutout 28.

D. Support Member

The support member 50 extends upwardly from the upper surface 22 of themain body of the ski member 20 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4, 7 and 8 ofthe drawings. The support member 50 may be attached to the ski member 20via various types of fastening devices (e.g. bolts) or welding. Thesupport member 50 is positioned in a central rear portion of the uppersurface 22 of the main body of the ski member 20 as illustrated in FIGS.6 through 9 of the drawings. The support member 50 preferably extendsupward in a vertical manner and is approximately 90 degrees with respectto the main body of the ski member 20. The support member 50 may becomprised of an aluminum tube have a rectangular cross section. Thesupport member 50 may have various lengths that maintain the trailerunit 12 in a substantially level position when the trailer hitch 14 isconnected to the hitch ball 56 such as approximately 15 inches.

E. Central Member

The central member 80 is attached to an upper end of the support member50 as shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 12 of the drawings. The central member 80extends around the support member 50 or is attached to the upper end ofthe support member 50 via fastening devices or welding. The centralmember 80 may be a separate structure by itself or may be formed bywelding end portions of the front support structure 60 and the rearsupport structure 70 together in a permanent connected manner.Alternatively, the front support structure 60, the central member 80 andthe rear support structure 70 may be comprised of a single unitary sheetof metal folded in a manner to form the front support structure 60, thecentral member 80 and the rear support structure 70. The central member80 is preferably parallel with respect to the upper surface 22 of themain body of the ski member 20 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

F. Front and Rear Support Structures

The front support structure 60 is attached between a front portion ofthe ski member 20 and the central member 80. The front support structure60 includes two or more front forks 62 attached to the ski member 20.FIGS. 1, 4 and 9 illustrate the front forks 62 of the front supportstructure 60 attached to the first portion 32 of the front lip 30. Thefront forks 62 may be attached to the ski member 20 with conventionalfastening devices (e.g. bolts) or welding. A front cross member 64extends between the front forks 62 as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings.The front forks 62 and the front cross member 64 are preferablyconstructed of a unitary sheet of aluminum approximately ¼ inch thick.The front forks 62 taper inwardly towards the central member 80 asillustrated in FIG. 9 of the drawings. One or more front angled supports66 extend upwardly from the main body of the ski member 20 to the frontforks 62 to provide additional support as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8of the drawings.

The rear support structure 70 attached to a rear portion of the skimember 20 and to the central member 80. The rear support structure 70extends rearwardly and downwardly from the central member 80 and thefront support structure 60 extends forwardly and downwardly from thecentral member 80. The rear support structure 70 includes two or morerear forks 72 attached to the ski member 20. FIGS. 1, 9 and 13illustrate the rear forks 72 of the rear support structure 70 attachedto the first extended portion 26 and second extended portion 27 of theski member 20. The rear forks 72 may be attached to the ski member 20with conventional fastening devices (e.g. bolts) or welding. The rearforks 72 are preferably constructed of a unitary sheet of aluminumapproximately ¼ thick. The rear forks 72 taper inwardly towards thecentral member 80 and are connected to the central member 80 opposite ofthe front forks 62 as illustrated in FIG. 9 of the drawings.

FIGS. 11 through 13 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the rearsupport structure 70 that connects to the support member 50 below thecentral member 80. The lower connection of the rear support structure 70provides increased clearance for attachments to a trailer hitch 14 thatmay normally engage the rear support structure 70 shown in FIGS. 1through 9. In the alternative embodiment, the rear support structure 70is preferably attached to the support member 50 via welding, butconventional fastening devices may also be used.

The central member 80 is permanently connected to the front supportstructure 60 and the rear support structure 70. Furthermore, the centralmember 80 is comprised of both the front support structure 60 and therear structure either being constructed from a single sheet of metal orwelded together. The central member 80, the front support structure 60and the rear support structure 70 are preferably constructed ofapproximately ¼ inch aluminum.

G. Hitch Ball

The hitch ball 56 is comprised of any ball coupler used for connected toa trailer hitch 14. The hitch ball 56 is attached to a support plate 52that is attached to the central member 80 by a plurality of fasteners 54or welding. The support plate 52 is comprised of a plate having aplurality of apertures for the fasteners 54 to allow for removal of thesupport plate and the hitch ball 56 thereby replacing the hitch ball 56.The hitch ball 56 is adapted to be removably coupled to a coupler of thetrailer hitch 14 of the trailer unit 12 to support the tongue weight ofthe trailer hitch 14. The hitch ball 56 is preferably concentricallyaligned with the support member 50 as illustrated in FIGS. 5, 7 and 8 ofthe drawings. The hitch ball 56 may have various sizes such as, but notlimited to, a 2 inch ball or a 2 5/16 inch ball for larger trailer.

H. Tongue Member

A tongue member 58 extends forwardly from the support member 50 forconnecting to a vehicle hitch 19 of a motorized vehicle 18. The tonguemember 58 is preferably pivotally connected and removably connected tothe support member 50. A main coupler 59 is attached to the front end ofthe tongue member 58 for removably connecting to a ball of a vehiclehitch 19 for a motorized vehicle 18.

A pair of brackets (unnumbered) extend forwardly and upwardly from acentral portion of the support member 50 and from opposite sides of thesupport member 50 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 8 and 12. The pair ofbrackets extend through the opening defined by the front cross member 64as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The pair of brackets extendupwardly through the opening and have a hole extending through thatreceives a removable pin 57. The removable pin 57 is preferablycomprised of a hitch pin having a broad end and a distal end having ahole that removably receives a clip member thereby allowing for pivotingof the tongue member 58 and easy removal of the tongue member 58 whennot in use.

I. Operation of Preferred Embodiment

In use, the user positions the trailer tow ski system 10 so that thehitch ball 56 is directly aligned below the coupler of the trailer hitch14 for the trailer unit 12 to be towed. The cutout 28 in the ski member20 allows lower end of the jack 16 to remain firmly positioned on thesupport surface as illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings. The user thenlowers the jack 16 which lowers the trailer hitch 14 upon the hitch ball56 until all of the weight of the trailer hitch 14 is on the trail towski system 10. The user then folds up the jack 16 to avoid interferenceduring towing. The user backs up the motorized vehicle 18 and connectsthe main coupler 59 of the tongue member 58 to the ball on the vehiclehitch 19 as shown in FIGS. 3a and 4 of the drawings. The user then usesthe motorized vehicle 18 to pull the trailer unit 12 while the trailertow ski system 10 supports the entire weight of the trailer hitch 14 andthe motorized vehicle 18 merely has to provide the pulling forward topull the trailer unit 12 on the support surface (e.g. snow, ice, land).The ski member 20 slides upon the support surface and also helps guidethe direction of the motorized vehicle 18 and trailer unit 12 with therunners 40, 42, 44. When the new location for the trailer unit 12 isreached, the user disconnects the main coupler 59 from the vehicle hitch19 and pivots the tongue member 58 upwardly as illustrated in FIG. 3b ofthe drawings. The user may remove the removable pin 57 to remove thetongue member 58 while keeping the present invention connected to thetrailer unit 12. Alternatively, the user may reposition the jack 16 ofthe trailer hitch 14 to engage the support surface and lift the trailerhitch 14 upwardly away from the hitch ball 56 so the trailer tow skisystem 10 may be removed and stored.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materialssimilar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in thepractice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods andmaterials are described above. All publications, patent applications,patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated byreference in their entirety to the extent allowed by applicable law andregulations. The present invention may be embodied in other specificforms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof,and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered inall respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Any headings utilizedwithin the description are for convenience only and have no legal orlimiting effect.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A trailer tow ski for supporting the tongueweight of a trailer hitch for a trailer unit, comprising: a ski memberhaving an upper surface, a lower surface, a rear end, a front end, amain body and a front lip, wherein the front lip extends upwardly at anangle from the main body; a cutout extending into the rear end of theski member to prevent engagement of the ski member with a jack of thetrailer hitch of the trailer unit; a support member extending upwardlyfrom the main body of the ski member; a tongue member extendingforwardly from the support member; a main coupler attached to the tonguemember for removably connecting to a ball of a vehicle hitch for amotorized vehicle; and a hitch ball attached to the upper end of thesupport member, wherein the hitch ball is adapted to be removablycoupled to a coupler of the trailer hitch of the trailer unit to supportthe tongue weight of the trailer hitch.
 2. The trailer tow ski of claim1, wherein the ski member is constructed of aluminum.
 3. The trailer towski of claim 1, wherein the main body is an elongated planar structure.4. The trailer tow ski of claim 1, wherein the cutout is large enough toallow the jack of the trailer hitch to remain in a supporting positionfor the trailer hitch.
 5. The trailer tow ski of claim 1, wherein theski member includes a first extended portion and a second extendedportion that extend rearwardly to define the cutout.
 6. The trailer towski of claim 5, wherein the first extended portion has a first inneredge and the second extended portion has a second inner edge, whereinthe first inner edge and the second inner edge diverge rearwardly fromone another.
 7. The trailer tow ski of claim 6, wherein the ski memberincludes a central edge positioned between the first inner edge and thesecond inner edge.
 8. The trailer tow ski of claim 7, wherein thecentral edge extends transverse with respect to a longitudinal axis ofthe ski member.
 9. The trailer tow ski of claim 1, wherein the trailerunit is comprised of a fish house trailer.
 10. The trailer tow ski ofclaim 1, wherein the tongue member is pivotally and removably connectedto the support member.
 11. A trailer tow ski for supporting the tongueweight of a trailer hitch for a trailer unit, comprising: a ski memberhaving an upper surface, a lower surface, a rear end, a front end, amain body and a front lip, wherein the front lip extends upwardly at anangle from the main body; a cutout extending into the rear end of theski member to prevent engagement of the ski member with a jack of thetrailer hitch of the trailer unit; a support member extending upwardlyfrom the main body of the ski member; a tongue member pivotallyextending forwardly from the support member; a main coupler attached tothe tongue member for removably connecting to a ball of a vehicle hitchfor a motorized vehicle; a central member attached to an upper end ofthe support member; a hitch ball attached to a support plate, whereinthe support plate is attached to the central member by a plurality offasteners, wherein the hitch ball is adapted to be removably coupled toa coupler of the trailer hitch of the trailer unit to support the tongueweight of the trailer hitch; a front support structure attached betweena front portion of the ski member and the central member; and a rearsupport structure attached to a rear portion of the ski member and tothe central member.
 12. The trailer tow ski of claim 11, wherein thecentral member is permanently connected to the front support structureand the rear support structure.
 13. The trailer tow ski of claim 11,wherein the main body is an elongated planar structure.
 14. The trailertow ski of claim 11, wherein the cutout is large enough to allow thejack of the trailer hitch to remain in a supporting position for thetrailer hitch.
 15. The trailer tow ski of claim 11, wherein the skimember includes a first extended portion and a second extended portionthat extend rearwardly to define the cutout.
 16. The trailer tow ski ofclaim 15, wherein the first extended portion has a first inner edge andthe second extended portion has a second inner edge, wherein the firstinner edge and the second inner edge diverge rearwardly from oneanother.
 17. The trailer tow ski of claim 16, wherein the ski memberincludes a central edge positioned between the first inner edge and thesecond inner edge.
 18. The trailer tow ski of claim 17, wherein thecentral edge extends transverse with respect to a longitudinal axis ofthe ski member.
 19. The trailer tow ski of claim 11, wherein the trailerunit is comprised of a fish house trailer.
 20. The trailer tow ski ofclaim 11, wherein the tongue member is removably connected to thesupport member by a removable pin.